What it shows
Range bars are candles where every bar spans exactly the same high-to-low range; a bar closes and a new one opens the moment price has traveled the specified range. Bars therefore print quickly in fast markets and slowly in quiet ones, equalizing volatility per bar. Each bar still has an open, high, low and close and is colored like a normal candle.
How it's built
Set a range size in price units or ticks: the current bar accumulates trades until its high minus low equals that range, then it closes and the next bar opens at the following trade. Bar formation is activity-based, not time-based, so the horizontal axis is uneven in time and no bars print when price sits still.
Switch to it
Open the chart-type menu in the header (next to the interval buttons) and pick Range bars — or pin it as a favourite for one-click switching.
When to use it
- Scalping and day trading fast markets where consistent bar volatility helps timing
- Filtering dead periods such as lunchtime chop, which compresses into few bars
- Cleaner breakout and momentum reads, since every bar represents equal price travel
Settings reference
Open Chart Settings (gear, or double-click the chart background) with this type active. Every setting, its possible values and what it changes:
| Setting | Control | Possible values | Default | Effect |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Colors | two-colors | any color (up / down) | #089981 (up) / #F23645 (down) | Colors of rising and falling range bars. |
| [Inputs] Range size (0 = auto) | number | 0 to 1000, step 1 | 0 (auto) | Price range (in ticks) each bar must cover before the next bar starts; 0 lets the chart pick a size automatically. A larger range produces fewer, slower bars that filter noise; a smaller range prints bars faster with more detail. |
| [Inputs] Source | select | Close, High/Low | Close | Close builds range bars from closing prices; High/Low uses bar extremes so intrabar movement completes ranges sooner. |
| [Precision] Precision | select | Default, 0 (1), 1 (1.1), 2 (1.01), 3 (1.001), 4 (1.0001), 5 (1.00001), 6 (1.000001), 7 (1.0000001), 8 (1.00000001) | Default | Number of decimal places used for prices on the scale and labels. Default follows the symbol's own tick precision. |
Watch out for
- Bar timestamps are irregular, so time-of-day analysis and time-based indicators behave differently than on minute charts, and quiet sessions can leave long stretches without bars